Machine for manufacturing spherical bodies.



H. C. HILL. MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING SPHERICAL'BODIES.

APPLICATION FILED "NOV. 23, 1914.

Patented m. 21, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1- H. c. HILL; I MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING SPHERICAL BODIES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-23, 1914.

A Patented 10%. 21, 1915 mmmm 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2. 4

H. C. HILL. v MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING SFHERICAL BODIES.

APPLICATI ON FILED Nov. 23.1914.

Patented 10m 21, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- Clarksburg,

HORACE C. HILL, 0]? CLARKSJBURG, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE AKRO-AG-ATE COMPANY, OF CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING SPHERICA'L BODIES.

Liltidfillfi.

Continuation of application Serial No. 721,229, filed September 19, 1-912.

' 23,1914. Serial No; 873,533.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE C. HIL L, a citizen of the United States, residing at in the county of Harrison and State of West Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Manufacturing Spherical Bodies, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in machines for manufacturing spherical bodies.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a machine for molding or rolling various materials into spherical bodies and completely finish the same.

Another object of the intention is to provide a continuously operated machine, of an efficient, simple and durable construction, whichisadapted to receive in successibn pieces of suitable material irrespective of the kind while ina plastic state, and of proper spheres of predetermined diameter.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the character described for molding a piece of material into the form of aperfect sphere, and to discharge it completely finished without recourse to any other machine.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the inventionv consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts constituting the invention to be hereinafter specifically described and illUSr trated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof wherein is shown the pre- I ferred embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which come withinthe scope of the matter hereinafter claimed.

In the drawings in which similarrefei ence numerals indicate like parts in the dif-- ferent figures, Figure 1, is a plan view'of a machine constructed in accordance With this invention; Fig. 2, is an end view thereof; 1F ig. 3, is a cross sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig.1; Fig. 4, is a longitudinal sectional view-on line 4.-.4;. of Fig. 1; Fig. 5, is a'detailcross sectional View of the discharge end of the machine on line 5-5 of Fig. 1; and, Fig. 6, is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the mechanism" shown of the opposing faces of the cylinders.

. Specification of LettersPatent.

spur gears 11 spaced from each other.

Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

This application filed November Referring to' the drawings, A designates generally the main frame of the machine which comprises longitudinal sills 5, 5 united by end sills 6, 6. Mounted on each end sill are adjustable bearings 7 and 8. Mounted in the bearings 7 is a shaft 9 and in the bearings 8 is mounted a shaft 1O. The shaft 9 bears a belt pulley 15, at one end and at the opposite end of the machine both shafts 9 and 10 are provided with similar one end. sill 6, between. and below the axes of the shaft 9 and 10 is an adjustable bearing .12 inwhich is a stub shaft 13 on which is mounted for rotation, an idler pinion 14 arranged to mesh with the gears 11 whereby the shafts 9 and 10 are simultaneously rotated in the-same direction. Mounted on the shaft 9 are a plurality of disks, 17 on which is fixedly mounted a roll 16 and on the shaft 10 are a plurality of similar disks 19 on which is a roll 18 of greater diameter than the roll 16. Thejperipheral surfaces of each of these cylinders are respectively provided with a single, continuous, helical groove 20, the grooves of the two rolls being symmetrical in every particu ar except what difference there may be due to the difference in diameterof the two rolls. These grooves form an arc of a circle, in cross sec-' tion and are less in depth-than a semi-oil cle in their molding and "forming portions and although it is not absolutely necessary, it has been found thatit is best to have the corners 20 of said grooves approximately sharp, or, in other words, side walls of the grooves extend outwardly in a true are of a circle and insert the peripheries of the rolls without any outward flaring or oval formation being imparted to them. The length of these groovesor the number of convolutions each groove makes about its roll depends upon the size of the article which the ma- The rolls l6 and 18 are so arranged that I the peripheral surfaces thereof are opposed to each other and are set as near together as possible to accomplish the forming operation as clearly shown 'in Fig. 6 of the drawings. The peripheral. surfaces of the two rolls are adapted to be used for rapidly and cheaply converting different kinds of material into spherical shape, but the device is particularly adapted to the manufacture of glass balls or spheres and for the description of this device it may be assumed that the machine is adapted to the production of glass balls, such as are used in the manufacture of furniture casters, graining for lithographers use, as part of check valves, as marbles commonly used by children, or for ornamental or other purposes.

It has been stated that a completely finished sphere or ball with polished surface maybe formed or produced by this machine and that no other or additional work is required upon the ball to prepare it for use.'

This result or effect is obtained by means of the particular construction or arrangement or formation of the rolls 16 and 18 and the grooves 20. The distance between the rolls is so adjusted as to bring the forming portion of the grooves so closely together as to prevent the body of the material being rounded from passing downwardly through the space between the two rolls and sustain the material in the process 'of formation a, slight distance above the dead-center line between the shafts 9 and 10. Attention may be directed to the fact that the resting place in forming portion of the grooves during the molding operation being above the dead 'center line serves to sustain the spheres while being turned and rolled and as the peripheral speed of the larger roll 18 is greater than the peripheral speed of the smaller roll 16 and the movement or travel of the surface ofthe larger roll where it engages the article is moving upwardly at its working. oint and the surface of the smaller roller is moving downwardly, the

article is thereby rolled andturned and supported from bein drawn downward either by gravity or frictional engagement with the peripheral face of the smaller groove.

In practice, suitable pieces of material I are placed successively in the grooves at the right end of the machine in Fig. 1, and as the rolls revolve the bodies of material are turned on constantly changing axes of rotation, whereby all portions of their surfaces are rolled and smoothed and the body,

" as it gradually is being rounded to shape,

travels to the left until it reaches the deepened grooves 90 which are of such a depth as to provide an opening large enough to permit the formed spheres to drop between them into a suitablercceptacle/ The length of travel of the articles made by this machineiis such thattby the time the articles havexreached the grooves 20 they will not )onlybe perfec'tlyformed, but hardened to retain their shape after their discharge from the machine.

It will be noted that besides the constant rolling of a body .due to the rotation of the two rolls, which would, under ordinary circumstances, only rotate the article on an axis, practically parallel with the axes of either of the shafts 9 and 10, the slight inclination of these helical grooves is sailicient to constantlyturn the article about on constantly chang ng axes, whereby all portions of the surfaces thereof are engaged their working points respectively, with the roll moving upwardly at its working point having a greater peripheral-speed than the roll moving downwardly at its working point.

2. In a machine for manufacturing spherical bodies, a pair of oppositely arranged rolls of difierent diameters and having helical peripheral grooves, and means for simultaneously rotating said rolls at the same angular speed to move the roll having the greater diameter upwardly at its working point and the roll having the lesser diameter downwardly at its working point.

3. In a machine for nuinufacturing spherical bodies, a pair of oppositely arranged rolls formed with helical peripheral grooves of uniform pitch respectively, and means for simultaneously rotating said rolls upwardly and downwardly at their working points respectively at the same angular speed with the roll moving upwardly at its working point having a greater diameter and peripheral speed than the roll moving downwardly at its working point.

4. In a machine for manufacturing balls or other bodies, a pair of oppositely arranged rolls having helical peripheral grooves less than a semi-circle in cross section in their forming portions, the last, circumvolution of each groove being gradually deepened and widened for automatically discharging a body therebetween.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing 

